By “moving gift” as you will see, I mean “gift to help with my upcoming move” although it was such a gratifying surprise that it qualifies as emotionally moving too.
A long-standing donor to Naked Capitalism read our post about leaving New York City and volunteered to help. This is how the correspondence started:
Donor: Good luck with the move! If I can be of any help, please let me know!
Nice thoughts are, well, nice but I have a ton of stuff to sort through, and it seemed extraordinarily unlikely that Mr. Donor was offering to help me sort out which things of mine really ought to go. So I sent a message back expressing my gratitude for his willingness to assist but added that the sort of help I needed was below his pay grade.
Mr. Donor wrote again, saying he knew well how awful moves were and his offer stood.
Still not sure exactly how Mr. Donor might help, and in particular not sure if he meant money, (it would be horribly crass to assume that and be wrong), I told him a bit more about my situation.
And he then made a very generous financial offer!!! And he’d already made a meaty donation via the Tip Jar a few days back.
Needless to say, having this support will make a big big difference. It means I’ll be able to hire the various helpers I need (most important, a moving concierge) as well as cover the unexpected costs that keep popping up like finding out I have to move my corporation from New York to Alabama, which means I’ll have to hire a lawyer in Alabama to merge my New York corporation into an Alabama corp (as ridiculously complicated as that sounds, it’s the least disruptive way to do what I need done. If any Alabama readers know a lawyer they’d recommend, particularly one who be so kind as to not charge a New Yorker price, I am all ears).
Even though there is still a lot I will have to do myself, this gift will allow me to lay off as much as I conceivably can, which in turn will minimize how much time I spend away from the site.
So a big round of applause for our generous benefactor!
43 comments
Comments are closed.
Moving is a huge hassle anytime and such assistance is clearly wonderful. All the best to you and applause to your generous benefactor. It is awesome to see!
Also, moving is a perfect time to cut things out. Something I preach better than I practice.
Bravo indeed. I move frequently and help is great!
The “more fortunate” among us aren’t all bad! This blog sustains a community who are actively promoting positive change, but it depends on people who need to sustain themselves as well. I’m grateful for the generosity of your benefactor.
I too am moving from the core to the periphery. It’s a daunting task to sort through 22 years in one house, but I need to unplug from Silicon Valley. The culture has become toxic. Can’t imagine having to move a business entity as well. It’s terrific that you can hire some professional help!
Man, that is generous that. I shudder at the thought of us ever having to move from here having done it once. My salutations good sir.
Wishing you well. Too bad I cannot claim donations to NC as charitable deductions.
Hats off to the helper hero!
I notice that the younger generation prepare for a move by taking to ebay and selling lots of stuff. If we were to move I think a major tactic would have to be a huge bonfire.
When I retired and had an office to clear, the main help was a shredder for any file that might contain something confidential, since sorting through files would have taken forever. I had lots of books in my office – I just gave them away to younger folk.
Lovely, thank you Sir Donor. And what a community you have created, Yves! From each, to each and all that…
Good karma. Your donor is to be admired for his generosity!!
It’s like my wife says, “We need to help each other!”
Community.
Yves, I will ask my cousin and her husband about an attorney.
She said give them a day and they’ll have an attorney for you to get a hold of to help. She said if you need anything else to just ask because they know everyone, and they are very glad to be of any assistance for your move.
That’s great, thanks so much!
Thank you and kudos for anyone who supports a forum for reason, courtesy, empathy for others and a rare example of how the Internet can be used for the greater good!
Thanks, Anonymous Donor!
Do you have to move your corporation? We were incorporated in Nevada for many years while living in California.
I do if I am to avoid extra costs that will exceed the cost of reorganizing. I’d have to file 2 state tax returns.
You might consider Delaware for incorporation as there is no corporate income tax. You can live in any state and move as you need to without any problems. All you have to do is get a registered agent service to serve in that capacity, there are packages out there that offer this. You would need to register as a foreign corporation in whatever state you are living in and pay any corporate income taxes that may be due unless of course you are a Sub-S. This served me well moving about in the west before I retired.
Thank you Mr. Donor. Your thoughtfulness and generosity is deeply appreciated by this dedicated subscriber and no doubt by the entire NC community.
Good luck with the move. Despite never leaving the upper Midwest I’ve moved 25 times (not uncommon when you’re not good with money).
Everything about moving stinks except for after you’re done, and then nothing can compare to the feeling of being in your new home. Moving is an unpleasant process that, unlike most things these days, does have a happy ending.
I have found the “being in your new home” part to take a *very* long time, indeed…because I am so slow to get the new place organized. This, too, is not uncommon when you’re not good with money.
Over the last 25 years I’ve lived in 10 places…the last place I lived (until just over a year ago) I was there 11 years. I had moved so much up to that point that it was nearly 8 years after moving in before I finally put up my wall art.
Thanks Anonymous Donor!
Yves – I have helped people create and register their LLC’s with the Alabama Secr. of State. You could simply register as a “foreign” corporation. Of course, if you want to cut all ties with the New York regulators, it would be more complicated.
Anyway, I recommend the law firm Sirote, Permutt. They are a large firm with excellent corporate lawyers. I have worked with their Mobile office in the past. I have no idea what their rates are like.
New York doesn’t allow New York corporations to be transferred, and my accountant says I need to avoid filing 2 tax returns.
Of course, makes perfect sense. No one should file extra tax returns and New York is especially difficult. I’ve had occasion to file New York individual tax returns for clients and they know how to wring every last penny they can out of the taxpayers. I would imagine corporate returns are even more difficult.
I’m sure you’ll find Alabama a lot easier and much cheaper for taxes, but you probably already know that.
Hurray for Anonymous Donor! Good and kind person!
I try to focus on the neat people and their good deeds, when I get discouraged in life (one of the “neat people” is Lloyd Doggett of Texas, used to be my rep but I was gerrymandered out, but he works so hard to help people and situations and with such care.
Anonymous Donor, you are neat too!
Great Job!
Just when things seem so difficult a kind donor comes forward to help the NC group leader. Thank you for your kindness in helping Yves move. We all appreciate it.
Move everything or move little (two suitcases). Those are the only rational choices.
Are you incorporated as a nonprofit? Considering your mission and scope, it might be beneficial to do so.
No, that is one of those “nice in theory, not nice in practice” if you are small. It is easy to set up a 501(c)3 but the annual costs are way higher than for a regular corp, and a ton more adminstrava, like having a bona fide board with regular meetings, minutes, etc.
To give you an idea: Rolling Jubilee, which raised $700K for what amounted to a one year project (so think of this as analogous to $700K of annual revenues) AND had donated accounting and legal services, was horrifically late on all its reporting.
Another example: banks require high minimum balances for not for profits. TD Bank requires $10K for a fee free not for profit account.
I don’t have enough time for the business of the business as it is, and I also can’t take more in the way of hard costs.
Goddess Bless the kind and generous
Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Donor. Moving is stressful, so anything to help Yves is much appreciated.
Thinking of you, Yves, and wishing you all the best with your move and life change.
Well, how wonderful for everyone, I shall try to play it forward. Thank you Donor for helping Yves and us all.
Yay Mr. Donor! Fair play to you, and HUGE thanks for helping one of our most favoritest people in the world, Yves. [Genuflect]!!!! :-)
thank you, mr. donor. you have shown excellent taste in choosing this particular donee.
and by extension this site and everyone who labors at it. (if i say so myself!)
especially considering the nature of yves’s mission in birmingham, supporting her elderly mother, your purpose is truly good in many more ways than one.
bless you, and i hope you experience a great sense of satisfaction in taking this action.
Giving enables more receiving as does gratitude for what you have and receive. Thank you sir.
I join in the hip, hip, hooray for the generous donor! And a nod to Yves for summoning the grace to accept the help – that can be a big hurdle.
thanks to the donor on behalf of the readership, too
By far the toughest part of moving is the decisions. On completion maybe you’ll offer a tip on getting out of Del Mar? :>)))
I put ‘send yves a check toward the move’ on my list; probably tuesday; not a lot, but why didn’t we all think of this?
and also please let us know what your forwarding alabama mail address will be for followup donations